Red Sox's Bogaerts restores confidence after tough year in 2014

“Yeah, a little bit -- going really bad for two months, I mean extremely bad,” Bogaerts said of losing confidence, per WEEI.com. “Trying to have confidence everyday coming to the park was pretty tough. This year is a new year, I feel much better. I feel much more confident in myself so, it’s something I definitely learned, no matter how tough the situation is it’s just keep your head up.”

Bogaerts said the experiences he learned last season should help him well moving forward.

“It’s a really tough game,” Bogaerts said. “Especially in the Boston market — a lot of media attention, especially after winning the World Series, a lot of eyes were on us. I think this year will probably be the same because of all the new acquisitions that we have. You just have to have a lot of confidence in yourself. You go through your ups and downs. It’s definitely easy to lose your confidence.”

Red Sox INF coach: Xander Bogaerts' first step has improved

by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(2/16/15) Red Sox infield coach Brian Butterfield got his first look at the allegedly quicker first step of shortstop Xander Bogaerts Monday and believes he can see the difference, the Boston Herald reports.

"His first- and second-step quickness today was really good," Butterfield said Monday. "He's had days like that (before). It's always a full body of work."

Bogaerts, 22, spent the offseason working on his quickness at the EXOS Performance Institute in Phoenix -- at the suggestion of infield teammate Dustin Pedroia -- rather than train in his native Aruba. Butterfield has confidence Bogaerts can continue to improve defensively.

"Yeah I do, and I think I'm speaking for everyone else on the coaching staff, too, and that includes [manager] John Farrell," Butterfield said. "I think Bogie is ready to meet that challenge. The good thing is he's highly intelligent and he wants to be good, so he's going to do anything that he can to hold up his end of the bargain."

Butterfield also plans to work with Bogaerts on anticipating the pitch selection by studying the tendencies of the team's pitchers to help with positioning.

"One without the other, you're not going to be as good," Butterfield said. "When he gets to the point where he's consistent with both his anticipation and his first- and second-step quickness, he's going to be fine."

Bogaerts spent time at shortstop and third base last season but is expected to work exclusively at shortstop after the addition of Pablo Sandoval. The young infielder made half of his errors at third base in 2014 despite playing less than a third of his innings at the position.

Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts: 'Strongest I've ever felt'

by Larry Hartstein | CBSSports.com

(1/28/15) Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been working out at the EXOS performance institute in Arizona, the facility where second baseman Dustin Pedroia trains every offseason. ESPN.com says Bogaerts feels he's pushed himself more than ever before, "and the results are showing."

"This is probably the strongest I’ve ever felt going into a season -- and by far,” Bogaerts said, via the website. “I’m definitely real excited for the season.”

Bogaerts, 22, had an up-and-down 2014 season, his first full year in the majors. He finished at .240 with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 144 games.

He'll spend a few more weeks training in Arizona before reporting to spring training.

“I kind of never challenged my body to lift heavier weights because I’ve always tried to kind of maintain the same,” Bogaerts said. “Getting the knowledge from those kind of guys and just trusting the whole system that they have over there and just pushing your body, it’s really a difference than any years I’ve had in the past.

“It was mostly gym and conditioning and speed and stuff like that, power and speed. It was definitely something that I really enjoyed.”

Report: Mets could wait to see if Red Sox put Bogaerts on trading block

While it appears Bogaerts will remain with Boston with newly signed Hanley Ramirez moving to left field, a Mets source told the New York Post the team will be watching the Red Sox's situation.

"It’s not like we’re knocking down their door to see if [Bogaerts] is available," the source said. "But we’ll wait and see how things shake out."

Report: Red Sox will stick with Bogaerts as starting shortstop

by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(11/24/14) The Red Sox will stick with Xander Bogaerts as the starting shortstop, despite the signing of Hanley Ramirez, two team sources told The Boston Globe. CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports the plan is for Ramirez to play in left field.

02/26/2015 16:46Shortstop tiers for Draft Day 2015
Is the shortstop position all about Troy Tulowitzki and whatever else is left? Our Scott White tries to make sense of a frustrating situation in his shortstop tiers.

2014 summary:Xander Bogaerts didn't live up to the hype of being a highly touted prospect, though initially, it looked as if he was making a smooth transition to the majors. As late as June 3, Bogaerts boasted a .304 batting average to go with five home runs and 16 doubles, but then he went ice-cold for three solid months. He emerged from a 64-game span in which he posted a .153/.198/.221 slash line to finish the season with a resurgent September. Over his final 24 games, Bogaerts hit .313 with four home runs.

Playing time status: Even when embroiled in a lengthy slump, Red Sox manager John Farrell entrusted Bogaerts with steady playing time, either at shortstop or at third base. The team clearly wants to give him an opportunity to succeed, and he is expected to serve as their everyday shortstop this season.

2015 outlook: Bogaerts was decidedly more prone to strikeouts and popouts than he was in the minors, and unless he curbs those trends, he may not improve much on his rookie-season .240 batting average. However, he could take a step forward as a power producer, hitting between 15 and 20 home runs. That could be enough to move Bogaerts up into the top 20 shortstops, and if he achieves even more of his upside, a top 15 ranking is possible. That makes him worth pursuing in standard mixed leagues as a late-rounder.